Ionizing radiation is widely used in industry and medicine, presenting a significant risk to patients and medical personnel. Radiation causes damage to living tissue resulting in burns; moreover, at high exposure sickness, elevated rates of cancer tumor and genetic damage.
Typically, radiation exposure is managed by controlling the factors of exposure time, distance from the source and the use of shields of absorbing materials placed around the radioactive source. Furthermore, radiation is used only when the advantages outweigh the disadvantages; doses are normally kept as low as reasonable.
Shielding is an effective way of reducing radiation and depends upon the density of the material used. For example, lead, the most effective shielding material, has a density of 11.3 g per cubic centimeter as compared to water which has a density of 1.0. The thickness required to reduce radiation by 50% for lead is 0.4 inches, while for water the thickness is 7.2 inches.
Doctors, technicians and patients involved in treatment and diagnosis are subjected to stray radiation even when the apparatus is well screened. To protect themselves against stray radiation, personnel frequently wear protective lead aprons. These heavy lead aprons are not only inconvenient, but also tiring and painful.
Therefore, there remains a need for a shielding, screening or protective device which is light in weight, appropriately sized and easy to use or apply.